A weekend of success and distress for volleyball

It was a bittersweet weekend for the Bulls as they notched their first Mid-American Conference win, broke multiple records and also faced defeat. The Bulls improved their MAC record with a victory on Friday against the Akron Zips, but their celebration was short-lived as they were defeated by the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday.

The Bulls (12-8, 1-3 MAC) swept the Akron Zips (7-10, 1-3 MAC) on Friday in three games (30-16,30-28,30-21). This game marked the 12th win of the season, already surpassing the Bulls' modest 2005 season win total of 11.

"We always want to get better, so getting more wins than last year is exciting. Winning or losing, we will take them one game at a time," said head coach Jim Lodes. "With all the new comers adjusting to the team, and the veterans doing a great job of adapting, we think we are taking a step in the right direction."

The night was even more exciting for senior Nikki Morzenti as she became the fifth person in Buffalo volleyball history to reach the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig milestone. Morzenti completed three blocks, 14 kills and 14 digs throughout the match, which allowed her to reach her accomplishment.

"It was a tremendous feat, a testament to her (Morzenti) performance over the last four years," Lodes said.

Senior Jenna Map?(c) was also significant in the Bulls' victory, tallying 12 kills and seven digs on the night. Map?(c) was vital in the first game as she ended it with seven straight points.

Both Junior Lizaiha Garcia and Senior Brandie Clark were prominent on the court. Garcia provided 16 digs while Clark recorded 10 digs and a personal match-high 34 assists.

Sophomores Alyssa Fitchette and Rachel Smith created defensive power on the court, each notching four blocks.

"I feel great about the first MAC win," Lodes said. "We found a way to compete well and come away with a win, so we are happy. I don't know if there is an easy win out there and this was a good win for us."

On Saturday, the Bulls looked to continue their winning momentum but were unable to do so and fell in three games (28-30,29-31,21-30) to the Ball State Cardinals (6-10, 3-1 MAC). The Bulls often found themselves behind in the games but consistently made solid efforts to recover.

"We started poorly in games one and two and we would find our selves behind, and then have to fight back," Lodes said. "Then we would go behind again, and then fight back again. We can't be flat. We have to fight harder at 0-0 instead of when we are down in points."

The majority of the Bulls' offensive power was created by Map?(c) and Morzenti. Both tallied 12 kills. Ball State's Kelly Cochran was key for the Cardinals as she completed a match-high 15 kills.

Garcia and Morzenti were prominent defensively, each notching 17 and 10 digs respectively. Sophomores Claudia Neba and Rachel Smith helped the Bulls double the number of Cardinals' blocks (6-3), both providing four block assists apiece.

"I liked our fight, I liked our heart, but we need to have that same sense of urgency from the beginning so we don't find ourselves behind in the game," Lodes said. "I like our desire to compete but I wish we would show it at every point in the game, instead of when we are down."

The Bulls concluded their weekend with mixed feelings.

"We can compete in the MAC, but are we happy with just competing?" Lodes said. "Are we satisfied or are we really going to compete and go after it, are we going to fight for a MAC championship?"

The answer Lodes gives is yes, and he has a plan.

"If we come out and represent ourselves and play at our level we still may lose," Lodes said. "But if we lose it would be because someone outperformed us, someone went after us, somebody worked harder than us or somebody rose to our level. We got to work hard in practice, work hard in matches and know that we at least left it all on the court."

The Bulls eagerly look to become victorious once again in the MAC as they travel to the Buckeye state. Friday at 7 p.m. they will compete in their fifth MAC game of the season, this time against the Miami RedHawks.